The Gospel of Wow!

I’m going to let you in on a secret: I don’t particularly like listening to sermons. Or lectures. I know, this is a strange confession coming from someone who used to preach and teach six days a week.

I have nothing against lectures or sermons – and the good ones can change the world – it’s just that I am not a particularly good listener. Tell me and I zone out. But show me and I get it straight away. It’s just the way I’m wired.

I’m a visual learner – aren’t we all? – so for years I have wanted to create a book that uses pictures to convey the beauty and simplicity of the gospel. That dream is about to come true with the release of my new book, Stuff Jesus Never Said.

This is a book full of pictures. It’s full-color, hardback and it looks great. (I can say that because I didn’t paint any of the pictures.) I wrote this book for people who don’t like to read and people who don’t go to church. It’s the good news for the widest possible audience.

Stuff Jesus Never Said comes out in a couple of weeks. However, some of you have found that you can get the book now on Amazon. This was a bit of a shock because it’s not supposed to be there. Not yet.

We checked the security tapes and saw how it happened. A flotilla of drones with AMZN on their sides were seen hoisting books out in the dead of night. I’m surprised this is legal, but I’ve moved on. If you want to get the new book today, you can.

BUT, here are a couple of good reasons why you might want to wait two weeks until the official launch:

1. The Amazon version is digitally produced. It’s a fine book but the one coming out later this month is better – better paper, better printing, better binding.

2. There will be bonuses when the book is launched – free stuff that you can’t get from Amazon.

If you want to be the first in the world to read the new book, grab a copy from Amazon. But if you want a better book – along with launch bonuses – wait for the official launch in two weeks.

It’s win-win either way.

One more thing: some of you will be getting a free copy of Stuff Jesus Never Said in the mail later this week. These books have gone out to select E2R Patrons, while other patrons have seen an online flipbook version of the entire book. Patronage has it rewards.

Here is what one of the patrons had to say about the new book:

I am one of your Patreon people who is reading the advanced copy of Stuff Jesus Never Said and all I can say is WOW!! I am only on page 44 and it has already brought healing and freedom in wonderful ways. Thank you so much for writing this book. I love all your posts and have read all your other books and am so grateful. I can’t wait to finish the book.

I was so encouraged to hear this because to me the Gospel of Jesus is the Gospel of Wow! That’s how I feel whenever I read the Bible. I am not joking. When we see the gospel as it truly is, without all the manmade mumbo jumbo, we go “Wow!”

And then we go, “Thank you, Jesus!”

If you’re thinking of becoming a patron, now’s a good time to sign up. You’ve missed out on this book, but you’ll get sneak peaks at the next one.

Incredible! I share the sentiments of the patron whose comments you included here, Paul. That’s exactly how I feel and what I say whenever I read the Bible or study a particular passage, Wow! And then I say “thank You, Jesus, my King”. I’m currently reading your book “The Gospel In 10 Words” and have been shaken and energized by its clarity, simplicity, and truth and I thank you so much. I’ll be one of your patrons who waits for the official launching of your new book though I’ll probably be getting it digitally to read as a Kindle E-Book on my laptop. Thanks for everything, Paul.

Did Jesus say,”I am God?” He doesn’t have to. He is part of the One Only True God, 3 Personality – Love connection in a realm we need not be concerned for. Rom 8:26-36 is helpful in this regard along with Rom 8:16.

How do I know I’m married, except I wake up every morning and there is my wife. Salvation is not something to check up on like a bank balance. Salvation is found in the Person of Jesus Christ. When you know Jesus you’ll know that your future is secure. The only people who need to examine themselves to see if they are saved are those who are not.

I have a post in the pipeline entitled “How do I know I’m saved” which develops this.

Long, long time ago, since I was in my teens I was looked for a man of God, who truly understands what Ephesians 2:8-10 means. Many of the preachers and teachers, both ordained and lay, stumbled miserably at the concept of “Works” versus “Grace.” I asked them if I had to go and apologize to people I have wronged, or thought that I had wronged in order to have the peace of God’s grace and forgiveness. So many of them thought that I was under the conviction of the Holy Spirit to go and confess, but did not want to confess and/or apologize and/or and or ask for forgiveness. They were scared that if they emphasize the part about being saved by grace, too much, as against, not of works, that they would have been doing the Lord a disservice which would incur His wrath against them for misleading me, or for letting me get away with thinking that I don’t have to confess my sins/wrongs to those people, including my parents, brothers, and sisters in order to be saved.
But deep within I felt that something was wrong with having been given grace, yet having to confess my offenses to the people I may have wronged, in order to be saved. For years I had lost my peace over this.
Mr. Paul Ellis is a God-sent teacher. I need your book.

I love the sound of this book. I actually know people who don’t read English, so this would be great for them. (As well as for those of us who exhibit slight symptoms of ADHD whenever we find ourselves in front of a printed page.)

I started the Facebook page several years ago, but I don’t contribute as much to it anymore – I’ve been busy writing the book. The memes on that page now come from dozens of individual contributors and three admins.

I am so excited for the release of this book! My husband is a lot like you in being a visual learner. There have been so many times we try to read a book together or listen to a message and he gets distracted or bored. Thank you for listening to the Lord and making something like this available! I can’t wait to get a copy, and I already have several people in mind that I want to give a copy to!

That you’re not such a great listener reflects in your writing style. Your English is simple and clear so more people can understand, and you love to get straight to the point. In this way you’re definitely about making the Gospel clear in ways I think are unique, and that’s just wonderful!

Hey, Rob! I did the same thing for decades. The gospel is truly Good News. Jesus said my yoke is easy and my burden is light. As Paul E has said , it’s done, done, done. In the Old Testament it was do, do,do. I don’t know if this will help you any, but it’s when I was reading Romans 4:18-25 fi at least for the hundredth time : ) that I saw verse 21 and it sealed the deal for me–that what God had promised “He” (my emphasis) was able also to perform. Abraham and Sarah brought nothing to the table . They couldn’t contribute anything of their own to producing the heir. God made that possible. We aren’t saved by our faith but by HIS grace. For the longest time I was trusting in my FAITH in Christ to save me instead of in Christ Himself and God’s unmerited gifts given to me because of that sacrifice.
Does that make any sense? For the longest time I was sin conscious rather than God conscious. Original sin was unbelief which resulted in disobedience . So many Christians I know have mistakenly believed that disobedience was the original sin , so the solution is OUR obedience once we’re saved. No.. Christ was perfectly obedient for us. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Yes, sin can have deadly consequences , but the answer is not to live as Steepford wives but to get up and resume the race knowing that we have HIS righteousness as Romans 10:10 says. that is one of many gifts we receive by simply believing The Good News.
By the way , I like your sense of humor lol I hope this may help until Paul’s message about this is posted. Can’t get enough of E2R!

Cool book! Eye grabber. Have it sitting out, people cannot help but pick it up and read the comment that strikes them as true. “Really, Jesus didn’t say that?”
God is so good love talking about His goodness and love!

Thanks Jesus and well done Paul Ellis

Religion is about achieving, Christianity is about receiving. He has all the Peace we need, receive!

Donbeeson: I like what you said, but here’s where I struggle–God offers me his free gift of grace because of his shed blood, so I accept his gift and am forgiven! But don’t I have to be willing to surrender ALL for salvation to occur? And right now all I can do is pray, “Lord, make me willing to surrender all.” Confused.

Thanks for echoing this rather universal dilemma. It is about the joy and peace of God that has been introduced to our heart. The things to do are just the natural spiritual results of the working of the Holy spirit upon your heart. When you eat food you don’t ask or worry about where and how the good food affects your life. But you find that you have more energy to work and think and remember wonderful things of interest to you. Well, on a spiritual plane that is what’s happening. Whatever difficulty lies in your traveling path, God will get it smoothed out for you. The joy of the Lord is to be your strength. Enjoy this joy. Celebrate this joy. Praise God for this joy, always.

Sanctification is what you describe about surrendering all. It is the eork of a life time. No need to sweat it. Just enjoy the process kniwing you are in, by God’s grace. Our experience in God’s grace is joy and thanksgiving, because of the joy. As we draw nearer to God, reading His Bible we become better. But that is all: w.e become better and better, but not best; for Jesus is the best. We do have the opportunity to improve based on our zeal inspired by that basic, wonderful grace at the foundation. But we are in. It do
Es not matter what discrepancy or incompleteness we may be still having. The basic gift of His grace should sooth us constantly, as we journey on, from moment to moment, minute to minute, hour to hour, day to day, week to week, month to month , year to year, decade to decade, century to century, until our Lord comes to take us into the Kingdom.

Hey, Joseph. I agree. There’s no sweating it. As believers we are in Christ. I was some of reading Paul E’s posts on Ephesians. Ephesians 1 is used very often by Cslvinists to defend their beliefs about election, predestination , etc. But reading what Paul E said about God’s love in regard to Inclusionism can be said about Calvinism as well in my not so always humble opinion :-> I can’t help but think Calvinism distorts God’s abundant, eternal love for us and Hos desire that we come to realize that and fully trust Him and His love. I just can’t see anything lovely about God selecting before the foundation of the world whom He was going to save and whom He was not. As Paul E pointed out , there are over two hundred scriptures that speak about Him wooing us and inviting us to believe what He Did on our behalf. The more secure we become in His love for us , the more we will be transformed. As we come to comprehend His acceptance of us because of our being in Christ, we will have less and less a need to find that acceptance from others and what our culture says we need for acceptance. We are holy and righteous the moment we believe , but the rest of our lives is spent in believing and trusting in that reality . For most of my life , sanctification has always been presented as DOING for God. Now o see It as coming to see the height and depth of God’s love for us which can lead to behavior change. But I concur with the apostle Paul. Sin still resides in my flesh and often still convinces me who would do good to do the not good as the latter part of Romans 7 says. I don’t want spin from either side. I just want the truth. And that can be SO elusive : )

My acceptance of myself is being challenged by autocorrect lol The misspellings above cause me to appear illiterate. Wish there was a way to edit our posts like we can on Facebook :-> Oh well, my acceptance and love by God are not dependent upon my performance , right ? ; )

No. It is based on your attitude towards a loving God. Our attitudes can be perfectly good, while our performance are not or may not be perfect. Whether the performance is perfect or not perfect, the attitude towards God and His wonderful grace can only be, rightly speaking, PERFECT. You see, our honest actions or performance is driven by the healing power of God’s grace operating in our lives. The Word says, “The Joy of the Lord is thy strength.” Where did that joy cone from? From the Lord. It is spiritual healing, food. One of the great philosophers says, “Let food be thy medicine.” Our spiritual medicine is the food of the bread of Heaven. Once we eat food it does what it is intended to do, as designed by the master chemist and great provider, Jesus Christ. The same with our spiritual manner, God’s grace. We cannot tell our good food we ate how to strengthen us. It dies its own thing. Our simple and most pleasurable task is to eat. And the rest is history. We can do all the good works in the world, just make sure we can enjoy our works, by not working with a burdened sense that we have to do the works in order to be saved, or in order to be relieved from a personal sense of guilt. We must feel no ill regarding our sin or anything. We have this guilt feeling because we have learned it. Demons and our fellow human beings have taught us, hurt us with misunderstanding of the word of God, which when rightly understood—as our eyes are being anointed with heavenly eye salves. Pray for this eye salve to Jesus. Pray. Pray. Pray. Eat well. Exercise. Take your power walks. Walk it out. That is walk out in physical exercise the strain from stress on the body. Sleep on time. Fast if you will. Get the sunshine for vitamin D, etc. But do not think or feel that you need to worry about a single thing. Be happy in Jesus by simply drawing near to God. That is it.